“Karen Pittelman is the only person I know who can banish my writing anxiety and get me moving forward, even when I’m feeling frozen. Gently setting much-needed deadlines and offering specific, constructive insights, she’s taken my novel to a whole new level in just a few sessions.”
—Emily Rems, Managing Editor, Bust Magazine
“Karen has talents that don’t usually come together in one person—she’s deeply empathetic, has a poetic understanding of writers and their material, and she’s a miracle of organization. She gets you and your work, even when you feel like you couldn’t be making any sense, and pairs that intuition with the ability to help you create the structure and everyday process of articulating those ideas. Writing is indeed a solitary pursuit, but when you work with Karen, you are in the wise company of someone who will lead you back to your own inspiration time and time again—and teach you how to find and trust it on your own.”
—Noy Thrupkaew, journalist, Open Society Fellow
“Karen Pittelman is the Mary Poppins of writing! Sometimes brutally honest, though always empathetic, she takes you and your mountain of material, and makes sifting through it almost fun. Had I not found her services, my Master’s thesis would be nothing more than a slew of files on my computer. She has made me a better writer.”
—Merry Pool
“Karen doesn’t push. She pulls. Karen pulls the story out of you that you know you have, and she pulls other stories out of you that you never could’ve realized or had to courage to dredge up on your own. She has taught this highly impatient, type A fundraiser-by-day to finally have some patience with the process of writing. To respect it. Even—when I’m not tearing my hair out about it— to allow myself to fall for it. Karen helps me get the very most out of the little time I can invest in my own writing, and in so doing, she has given me the confidence, desire and courage to finally whip myself into shape and make it happen. Karen is as smart and quick-witted as she is genuinely caring, and that’s why I trust her with my writing entirely. My memoir would be forever stalled in a hopeless abyss had she not helped me finally figure out how to rewrite nearly ¾ of it over the course of the past 12 months, and for that I am forever grateful, to her and to the mutual friend who introduced us. My new motto: In Karen I Trust!”
—Rhonda Zapatka
“I had been talking about my book idea for five years but could never muster the energy to actually write it. Then I met Karen, and all of a sudden, I have a proposal and two chapters written. She is truly more than a coach—more like a friend, therapist, motivator, and personal organizer rolled into one. A miracle worker.”
—Priya Jain
“From specific proposals about structure to the more nuanced process of finding the right tone, Karen has provided invaluable help throughout the wonderfully challenging process of writing a book. She has helped me identify the good and bad habits I have as a writer, which has allowed for breakthroughs in productivity. Whether it’s an encouraging e-mail, critical feedback or the occasional bribe, Karen always knows exactly how to keep me moving through the writing process—and how to have fun while doing it!”
—Sam Seidel, author of Hip Hop Genius
“I turned to Karen because she is a poet who knows how to struggle and how to heal. Karen can weigh the precise meaning and temperature of a word; she can nudge it into a stronger place in your sentence. If you have a knot, she will unravel it with the tenderest tug. If you have a fear she will shoo it away. If you lose your story’s rhythm she will guide your hand to its pulse.”
—Nicholas Powers, journalist for The Village Voice, The Indypendent and Vibe.com
“Karen Pittelman has proven herself essential to me in all phases of my writing. Whether taking unformed ideas and helping me find the core themes within, or tightening an already formed manuscript, Karen knows the exact right words to say to keep me improving without dampening my enthusiasm. She is a resource I consider myself lucky to have.”
—David Andrew Stoler, award-winning journalist, New York Times Fellow, and current Pushcart Prize nominee.
“Karen Pittelman saved my life. Really. I thought was clutching a pile of handkerchiefs, candy wrappers, and old newspapers when I climbed out the window. She talked me down off the ledge, and showed me that I was actually holding 3 or 4 books. Then she patiently sorted them out with me. Karen has the uncanny insight to figure out what kind of help you need, and to make sure you get it. She created space for me to find new structures, figure out what could be salvaged from older methodologies, and burnish the details. The indefatigably sagacious Ms. Pittelman enabled me to make the transition from stage to page and even enjoy it.”
—Kron Vollmer, performance artist, 2007 Puffin Grant recipient
“In homeopathic medicine, the selection of a remedy is a delicate matter, requiring expert diagnosis of both mind and body. Karen is the expert every writer needs: she zeros in on the intellectual and emotional blockages that hinder you and is lightening-quick in finding strategies to move you along. Thanks to Karen, I’m more motivated to write than I’ve ever been, and I’m finally drawing on my strengths to create the kind of pieces I’ve always wanted to.”
—Bryn Canner
“Karen not only helped me edit my dissertation, she also helped organize my schedule down to the core details. Since I am a full-time dancer, it was a big hurdle for me to make time to write. Karen came up with a remedy for my schedule problem as well!”
—Aparna Sindhoor, founder of the Aparna Sindhoor Dance Theater
“If you’re committed to your writing, then you’re committed to revision. If you’re committed to revision, then you know you often need additional or alternative perspectives. Now, if you want that perspective to be intelligent, conscionable, and poetic, then you want Karen. Plus, she’s fun to work with!”
—Robert Booras
“With compassion, Karen Pittelman helped me pick my screenplay up from the floor, uncrumple it, and breathe personality into the characters and real life into the plot. By offering kind but precise feedback, practical next steps, and a loving ear, Karen has kept me moving forward on a project I had lost faith in.”
—Alana Devich